New York City police released a video on Friday showing two children getting caught in a shooting. The 5-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister were rushing toward a bodega’s entrance for shelter when they heard gunshots, but they collide with another man who is also racing for cover, and all three of them tumble to the pavement.
While the children are laying between the shooter’s obvious target, the gunman continues firing at close range. Police said the shooter opened fire around 6:45pm ET Thursday in front of 1551 Sheridan Ave. The target fell on top and around the kids as he struggled to escape the gunfire.
NYPD shared in a tweet that both children were “very unfortunately not injured. However, this episode is a vivid example of how gun violence in America has been and is a major crime issue. Just a few days after the Bronx shooting mentioned, there were 10 overnight shootings on Monday, 21 June.
Countless shootings have resulted in the loss of many lives. On June 14, the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) reported 272 mass shootings in 2021. Today, just one week after, the number is now reported at 297. This week’s shootings include incidents in New York City, Missouri, California, Florida, and Chicago.
As states begin to lift restrictions on social gatherings, shootings are happening more often. Over the course of the Covid pandemic, the federal government tracked gun sales exceeding a million per week – this benchmark has not been hit since gun tracking started in 1998. According to the GVA, the number of mass shootings has increased about 40% compared to 2020 (194 cases), and 65% from 2019 (164 cases).
America’s culture of guns has now become a culture of killing. Gun violence takes innocent lives and traumatizes the communities every day.
In April, after the devastating shooting in Atlanta – taking the lives of eight individuals – President Joe Biden has announced six initial actions to address to gun violence crimes. But truly effective change is possible only through federal legislation. Biden can expand background checks and band rifles, but Congress must step up in tightening gun laws for change to be effective.
